Love at First Sight
by Elizabeth Firebreath
Summary: Diaval doesn't like Phillip. He can't help but question his love for Aurora because of the failed kiss when she was still trapped under Maleficent's spell. Whether the prince's love for her is true, and whether any of them can trust the man hinges on one question Diaval must find the answer to. Is there such thing as love at first sight?
1. Prologue

The castle was always a hub of activity. With the birth of a princess, though, all the usual chores where revved up to a frantic speed.

Diaval knew there was something big going on before he even flew into the castle, though he didn't know what the cause was. He doubted he would be there long. People seemed to be bursting with news and he was bound to hear something somewhere. If he figured it out soon, he might even have a little time to spare for himself before returning to his mistress- wouldn't that be something.

It had only been a season since Maleficent had saved him from the hunters, and his life had changed forever. Torn from his beautiful feathered self into this new human form, he had much to learn. He adapted to human speech and language, he became her 'wings' flying from the human castle back to the Moors, telling of what he saw and heard in the capital of the king. She had some grudge against that ruler, and was waiting for some tidbit she could use against King Stefan. What he had done to earn her wrath had been a question that had crossed Diaval's mind more than once, but it was none of his business, and it hardly mattered to his job. He just gathered the data, she could do what she wanted with it.

Diaval perched in the rafters above a room full of women. They sat at wooden tables, weaving and gossiping. He guessed they were servants by their simple dressing and lack of finery. They all seemed excited. But unfortunately nobody was talking loud enough for Diaval to catch more than a few words, so he was still no closer to finding out what all the fuss was about.

After what seemed like hours, at a point where Diaval was contemplating finding a new perch, a portly women came rushing in squealing, "It's a girl!" excitedly. All the women stopped their weaving and began spreading the news. A few ran out of the room to tell others nearby.

_It's a girl, _thought Diaval. Well, that could mean any number of things, but he thought he had a pretty good guess.

Diaval knew he couldn't return on just what he heard. He would need to see for himself. He flew out of the room and into a courtyard inside the castle walls. Gliding through another window and up a flight of stairs, he turned into a hallway and rose up another staircase, taking him to the head servant's quarters. If he was going to learn anything about what was going on, that was the place. The butler, however, had caught Diaval one too many times and might've been starting to grow suspicious. So, Diaval avoided it when possible, which was why he hadn't come immediately. He was so close now, though, it was worth the risk.

He flew up to the rafters and listened, hoping to catch something of importance. He was not disappointed. Coming down the hall was the butler himself, drawn up straight and looking down his long nose, and some footman that Diaval vaguely recognized scurrying behind, eager to please.

"Tell the maids to make sure the nursery is clean and ready for the child. And get the wet nurse to the royal chambers immediately. This is the queen's first child, and she may get it in her head to nurse the girl. We cannot have that." The footman nodded and dashed down the set of stairs Diaval had just ascended up.

He waited for the butler to get out of sight, and then followed the footman. Flying down a few flights of steps behind him, he surreptitiously hovered in the shadows as the man ran down the hallway to deliver his message. Soon enough, a gaggle of young maids came rushing out in a rather undignified manner, and Diaval took off—heading off to follow them. Upstairs, down stairs, through hallways; the maze of the castle was as unwieldy as it was indecipherable. Diaval had to duck into room more than once to avoid being seen by the passerby, and race to catch up with the girls. This sort of thing had to be his worst favorite part of the job, but it had to be done. He had no idea where this nursery was, so it wasn't like he could abandon the maids and take a short cut.

Finally, they ducked out the servant's hallways and into a main corridors, stampeding through a large set of doors. Diaval struggled to get through as they slammed shut behind them, and breathed a sigh of relief. This was obviously a nursery; blue painted walls, large windows, a cradle at the center, and rocking chairs and toys scattered throughout the room. He fluttered to the top as the girls hurriedly straightened up, running cloths over surfaces to assure there was no dust, while others stoked the fire. Once they were satisfied everything looked perfect, they filed out, rushing down the hallway as not to be seen by any of the royal or noble folk passing by.

He relaxed, alone at last. Racing and hiding, then racing again could get tiring. Now all he had to do was wait, then get out. Getting out, Diaval realized, as he combed back through where he had been, was not going to be a snap. He highly doubted any of these windows would open, and he wasn't sure exactly where he was. But he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

Hours passed as Diaval waited, and he wondered about all the fuss the maids had raised, if the rest of the castle was in no hurry to get here. He was nodding off when he finally heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Shaking himself to alertness, he waited as the doors opened inward.

He saw the nanny or wet nurse, he supposed that the woman was either of the two. He could also see that she was carrying something, a small bundle of cloths. He waited as she scuttled to the center of the room, fiddling at the fabric in her arms before she gently dropped it into the cradle.

"You wait one moment, dearie," she said with a grin, before leaving the room.

Diaval was unable to control himself, and he floated down and perched on the child's cradle. She gurgled and laughed. Squealing, she reached up towards him. She looked just like any other baby you might see. Pink face, chubby arms, and swaddled in soft clothing. Even so, there was something special about the girl. A light seemed to emanate from her. She radiated happiness and wonder, glowed with something so pure, Diaval's breath was taken from him. Something in his heart was moved by this little child that was stretching toward him, so trusting and without sin. She was lovely.

Diaval gazed down at the baby, not consciously realizing any of this. He felt her glow and he was moved, but he did not understand what had changed within him. The nanny bustled back in, a gasp emitting from her as she saw the bird. She shouted hysterically, and Diaval took off. But not without one last look at the girl in her crib.

As he fled away, through hallways and finally out a door, then through the fields and pastors, back to his dark mistress, his mind was filled with nothing but the light of the child he had just left.


	2. When You Wish Upon a Star

There was nothing more magnificent in the world than flying.

Changed by Maleficent from that monstrously ugly and offish two legged human form, Diaval soared through the air. His black wings carried him up through the trees, dodging vines and rising through the thick canopy, then down low skimming water and racing around fairies and other creatures until they were screeching in rage and annoyance. Diaval cawed in amusement as he flew, enjoying this short time while it lasted.

"Pretty bird!" called a voice from below. Diaval hovered for a moment, and peered down to see Aurora waving exuberantly and smiling. She seemed to glow with light, golden hair in messes and tangles cascading down her shoulders, she was in a pink gown today. Not surprising, it was only ever pink or blue. Flora and Merriweather had made her a plethora of each, hoping she would become fond of one color over the other, and finally end the long standing argument between them of which was better.

He dropped and perched on her outstretched hand. She laughed and plopped down to the ground, resting her back against a tree.

"So," she said, "I see Maleficent has changed you, I know you have been bothering her about it for the last, well, forever. Is it all you remember?" Diaval cawed in reply, and she nodded while looking wistfully upward.

"To fly," she admitted, "I wonder what it would be like. The most wonderful thing in world I'd imagine." Diaval cawed in response, agreeing heartily.

She gasped in mock offense.

"Well that's not very nice," She pouted. "You should have said, 'Oh, Aurora, it's nice and all, but climbing and jumping are much the same thing and so you're not missing out on much.'" She sighed as Diaval croaked in amusement, and she collapsed on the ground. Diaval flitted off her hand and landed on a branch a little above her. "Well, at least I never have to worry about you lying to me."

"Oh!" She jolted up to her feet. "Guess what! Oh you'll never guess!" She grinned waiting patiently for Diaval to caw in question, but he refused to, instead opting to regard her with nonchalance.

She quickly lost patience, and began spilling out the words. "I've been talking to Flora, Fauna and Merriweather, and…" she waited again, and Diaval decided to indulge her, cawing in confusion. She grinned. "They are teaching me how to talk to animals." She bounced excitedly.

Diaval looked at her thoughtfully, wondering how on earth the incompetent fairies who raised the girl could possibly attempt to teach anyone anything, let alone something as complicated as getting a human to speak animals. He waited, eyeing her with trepidation.

She shrugged. "We've had limited success." She admitted. "They can barely agree on how to fly correctly; as soon as one tries to explain how to communicate to a bird passing by, the other two scream in horror that she's doing it wrong, and the bird bolts away as fast as its little wings will carry it." She brightened. "But turns out, I have a knack for it! Here, let me try." She sat up straight, and looked intently into Diaval's eyes "Say something."

Diaval couldn't help but doubt that this would work, but he humored her anyway. He cawed, "Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather couldn't teach a fish to swim."

There were giggles around the tree, and different fairy creatures understood his speech. Aurora scrunched up her face in concentration.

"In this weather, Mary couldn't fish or swim- I missed the first part entirely! Augh! They were names, weren't they? I am positively awful with names!" She flopped onto the ground. "I know it's wrong. With owls, sparrows, bunnies, and squirrels, I can understand them all! But the one bird I want to understand; nothing!" She blew out a sigh of frustration, then looked around, taking in the faint amused chuckles and entertained laughs. "Hey, what's so funny?"

This only made the fairy creatures roar with even more hilarity, and Diaval began laughing, too. She jumped up and tried to look stern.

"What is it?" she demanded, but she wasn't able to hold back her own giggle, so she didn't look very imposing. Diaval lifted off his perch, and she collapsed on the ground, shoulders shaking with delight while she attempted to control her laughter. He flitted above her, heart swelling in a way he could not explain. Everything felt so right. Aurora may be human, but she belonged with the Moors, where eyes shined and laughter rang out freely.

"Princess Aurora!" a voice trumpeted through the trees. Aurora immediately sat up, her laughter ceasing. She scrambled up quickly, and started brushing off her dress and smoothing her hair down, picking twigs and leaves out of her locks. Diaval looked in the direction of the voice, and saw the Prince stomping unceremoniously through the trees.

When Diaval had first met him, his heart had filled with hope, but also sadness. Hope that maybe, just maybe, he could be Aurora's true love, and kiss her to break the spell. Sadness, well, he didn't know why he felt melancholy when Phillip had seemed to be the answer to all their problems.

Then, Prince Phillip kissed her to no avail. Maybe it was because they had only met once and knew nothing of each other, when the three fairies had bullied him into doing so. Still, Diaval didn't like that no one had ever told Aurora of the failed kiss. It felt as if she knew the man under false pretenses. Diaval almost told her many times, but couldn't fund a good reason to bring it up. And he doubted Prince Phillip had discussed it with her.

He flitted away wordlessly, these odd feelings swirling like a tempest inside him.

Maleficent had turned him back human in the following hours. He walked through the forest, hating to be grounded. Unfortunately, Maleficent seemed to prefer him in his human form. She could understand him when he was a crow, but it admittedly was a lot easier when they both spoke the same tongue. The only other conciliation, was that Aurora seemed more comfortable around him, also.

Diaval couldn't deny that some things where a lot easier to do when he was in his human form. Certain things, like hunger and cleanliness, transferred from form to form. Opposable thumbs, however, made washing a lot easier. And the lack of hair or feathers helped too. Usually, unless he was in his crow form for an extended period of time, he would leave bathing for when Maleficent changed him into a human.

As Diaval padded through the woods, his alerted senses detected movement. Someone was walking around in the trees, coming toward him. There was only one person Diaval could think of that would create such a racket, and that person he had no desire to see.

"Ah, Davyell!" said the prince emerging. "I didn't hear you coming."

"It's Diaval," he muttered, giving the man a baleful look. "And I on the other hand, heard you from miles away." He went to brush by, but Phillip caught his arm.

"You don't like me." The prince concluded, his lip pursing into a frown. Diaval turned to him. His glossy brown hair, wide smile, and fancy clothes. It all seemed fake to him, and unforgivably pretentious.

He wrenched himself out of the other man's grip. "No, I don't." He said, giving Phillip a hard look.

"You care for Aurora, and I am in love with her!" he said reasonably. "It makes no sense—"

Diaval gave him no chance to speak. "And yet, you couldn't awake her with a kiss." He groaned to himself, why had he felt the need to bring this up? Whenever he had the ill fortune to cross paths with the prince, he was able to hold his tongue. Maybe he was still adjusting to being human, which caused him to say the first thing that popped into his head.

Phillip stared at him, befuddled. "Wait, how do you know about that?"

It was too late to backtrack and Diaval knew it, so he plowed on. "I was there. Once you left, we came out and Maleficent kissed her on the forehead, that's how she woke up. But you probably already knew that. Point is, we were there."

The prince shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then sighed. His gaze softening, he looked as if he had just found fault in a child's logic. Diaval resisted the urge to hit him.

"We had only just met; of course I couldn't awake her." He laughed as he walked off, and Diaval seethed while looking after him. After the prince had disappeared into the foliage, Diaval shook his head trying to rid himself of the anger, and continued trudging through the dense undergrowth.

Soon Diaval reached a secluded pond. It was his favorite in the area because it was fairly clean and rarely visited. He shed his clothing and sank into the cool water, relaxing. He was still in a foul mood from his talk with the Prince, but he was slowly able to forget it as he stared up into the night sky. He would very much like to be there right now, up with the twinkling stars. The sight reminded him of a story he had once heard. It was said that when you wished upon a star, that the wish came true. He smiled; utter nonsense, but charming all the same.

He heard a rustling in the trees, and knew the only reason he heard anything was because she wanted him to know she was approaching. He turned and saw his mistress standing imperiously on the bank. Ever since they had returned to the Moors, it struck him how different she looked. Before she had been cloaked in black, hair hidden by a cowl. Now, brown wings folded against her back, and hair loose. She looked so much more a part of the forest, and much less like something evil.

The respect she commanded was still something to be feared, though. Diaval hastily rose up out of the water and bowed.

One of her eyebrows rose, and she regarded him for a moment.

"Do you know why humans wear clothing and crows do not?" she asked unashamed. She didn't wait for a reply. "It's because they have different standards of decency." She paused as he looked down at himself, not understanding. "Try to keep what is between your legs covered whenever you're in this form."

Diaval quickly retreated back into the water, blushing a bit. "So," he tried to say in the most causal way possible, "Why have you come?"

"Aurora is the queen of two kingdoms." intoned Maleficent, "Possibly three, from the way the little romance is going." Diaval shifted uncomfortably below the water.

"One kingdom needs more governing than the other; this land had gotten along without a queen for a great long time. The other, the more human realm is, well, rather less self-sufficient."

"I wouldn't disagree, but I don't see how this has anything to do with me," Diaval said.

"There will come a time when Aurora will have to leave the Moors for the human realm, and you will go with her. There are few people I will trust, and none of them dwell beyond the forest. She will need protection. Protection you will offer her."

"Of course, when you do leave," she continued, her voice a warning, "you must let no one know of your crow nature. That would complicate things. You will go as a human. Though, at that time, I will give you the ability to change between this form and your original one. Your primary objective is to keep the girl safe, as it has always been."

Diaval nodded. Maleficent turned to leave, and Diaval hesitated, not understanding the impulse that compelled him to call out.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" he asked, though he thought he knew the answer.

She stopped and turned to him, seeming slightly startled by the abrupt question. Staring at him silently before speaking, she spoke quietly.

"No," she said, "No, I don't. But then again, I didn't believe in true love's kiss a few months ago, and I was proven wrong. But I think not."

Maleficent turned and disappeared through the trees. Diaval sat silently. He didn't like the idea of Aurora leaving this realm. It was where she belonged. He also wasn't keen on venturing out into the human realm, a place that would not accept him for what he was. There may be a time when the human lands and the Moors did coexist in harmony, as Maleficent was trying to achieve, but that was a long time in the coming.

More than that, he wondered about Phillip. Aurora deserved a knight in shining armor on a white horse, coming to sweep her off her feet. Phillip seemed to be all that and more. But it always came back to the kiss. Diaval supposed that if Maleficent was right, and there was no such thing as love at first sight, then Phillip was as perfect as Aurora would come by. But if there was, that meant that she was in love with someone who didn't, or at least hadn't, loved her back. And that was unacceptable.

And if he didn't love her, why was he trying to win Aurora in the first place?

He washed automatically, mind mulling through his worries and doubts. He rose up out of the pool, and slipped on his trousers and reached for his tunic. Decency was something about humans that annoyed him. On cold winter nights, wrapping yourself in blankets and furs made sense. Humans didn't have that natural isolation that birds and beasts did. But on a hot summer day like this, Diaval would have preferred nothing more than to walk around without the bothersome weight and warmth of cloth. He remembered what Maleficent said, however, and pulled them on anyway.

"Diaval!" shouted a voice through the trees. He looked up, smiling as he recognized Aurora's voice. Realizing he was still bare chested, he quickly slipped his tunic on before the girl appeared. Who knew how she would react? He knew there were things about his skin that didn't resemble a regular man's. He was extremely pale, and had strange grooves and markings on his skin and face. He blushed, embarrassed, not knowing why he cared so much.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she emerged, and crept closer.

"Quiet, too." He acknowledged, studying the scenery. She almost seemed surprised he had responded, so used to caws in answer. Whenever they met both as humans, it was hard for the first few minutes to adjust to real conversations.

She nodded, touching the surface of the water. "Do you hate your human form? I know you love being a crow, it's just—" she sighed, looking up at him.

He walked over and crouched down beside her, and smiled. "I don't hate it." He said. "There's just so little grace."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you joking? You're the most graceful human I have ever seen! You barely seem to land on the ground, you glide like you're on water, Nothings clumsy or hurried. Like a dancer."

Diaval was surprised to hear this. He had always felt so thunderous in this form.

Aurora laid back on the ground and looked up at the sky. Diaval settled down next to her. She gazed to the sky, brown luminous eyes, golden spun hair, creamy white skin. Diaval never grew tired of looking at her. She glowed with light, not unlike the stars she gazed up at.

"They say," he whispered gazing at her, "That when you wish upon a star, the wish comes true."

She turned her head and met his eyes, smiling. Her smile was like the sun. "I think we should test this." She gazed into the inky blackness speckled with dots of light. "I wish that I will live happily ever after with a man who loved me from the moment he met me. Now your turn."

"You believe in love at first sight?" asked Diaval, his voice tinged with interest.

"Well, of course I do. I have it right now, with Phillip." Aurora stated, laughing lightly.

Diaval didn't react at first, but then nodded slightly, acknowledging the statement.

"Now it's your turn!" she pressed, urging him. "What are you going to wish for?"

He paused, thinking for a moment. "I wish for home, I suppose."

"Home?" she asked, glancing at him. "Isn't this your home?"

"It is and it isn't." explained Diaval. "When I was a young bird, my home was a nest in one of the lands of human. All children must leave the nest, though, and after that I flew from place to place, never really having a home. This has been the closest thing I have had to one since then, but I feel as if there's something missing."

"Love!" proclaimed Aurora, her tone confident.

Diaval didn't answer. He doubted he would ever find love. He was neither bird nor human, too strange and too unique. He didn't want to upset Aurora, though, so he kept the thoughts to himself.

They lay next to each other on the grass by the pond for a long while. Listening to the sounds of the forest and gazing up at the stars. He looked at her and saw that she had fallen asleep, her eyelashes fluttering. He smiled and shut his eyes, waiting for darkness to take him to enter the realm of dreams.

The time for Aurora to leave the Moors came sooners than Diaval had anticipated. Only days after his meeting with Maleficent, the princess came rushing up to Diaval squealing in excitement.

"He's proposed!" She exclaimed, jumping into Diaval's embrace. His arms came around her as she buried her head into his chest, laughing with glee. His body filled with warmth, until he processed what she had said.

He pulled away gripping her arms.

"What did you say?" he asked seriously, hoping his expression was passive.

"Oh, don't be so stoic," she giggled, "I will still have time for you, nothing will change. And of course I said yes."

He dropped his arms, a shot of ice carving through him. "If what you say is true, than a lot will change." Her smile slipped as she regarded him, not understanding. "For one thing, you will have to go to his kingdom to be married."

"Well, I know that!" she said dismissively. "But everyone can come! I couldn't be married without my friends!"

Diaval shook his head. "You know how people are with the fair folk. Hopefully things can get better, but we are far from love and acceptance. Maleficent and the others will have to stay behind."

Aurora's smile fell completely. She bit her lip, searching for some alternative. "Well, we can be married here and-" she trailed off, attempting to come up with a solution. There had to be one.

"It won't be recognized as a ligament union by the Prince's country, or your human one for that matter. You will have to go some time. While the Moors can run itself, the human world cannot. You must return."

Aurora tried to hold back tears "But-" she took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down, face reality. "Well, I suppose if that's the way it has to be, that's the way it has to be." She continued steadily "I suppose I will visit you and fairy godmother, and the rest of the fair folk when possible, but-"

"You don't have to worry about visiting me." Diaval said smiling a bit, "Because I'm coming with you. Maleficent's orders, so you're stuck with me."

Aurora's eyes lit up. "Truly!" she exclaimed, and jumped into another embrace. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her head in his chest. His arms gently wrapped around her waist, for just a moment.

They drew away as they heard Phillip coming through the trees.

"Thank god, for a second there I thought I'd have to deal with all the crazy humans all by myself!"


End file.
